Top Maoist commander Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishenji was betrayed by one of his own men. Foreign Policy, an American bimonthly, has reported that Kishenji was gunned down by a joint team of CRPF's COBRA commandoes and the West Bengal Police following an insider's tip off for about Rs 20 lakh.

With allegations of a fake encounter doing the rounds, intelligence sources in West Bengal on Sunday confirmed that it was a colleague-turned-foe who tipped off the security forces about the guerrilla leader's whereabouts.

Sources said Suchitra Mahato, the woman Maoist leader who successfully escaped the CRPF operation after Kishenji was killed, had mentioned that a person called Kalu was behind the tip-off.

After being wounded in the crossfire on that fateful night, Suchitra sought shelter in house of Pintu Tudu, a Maoist contact. She is said to have revealed to Pintu's mother Lalita that 'Kalu' was involved in the betrayal. Pintu later took her to a local quack Bhudeb Mahato at Sarakata village near Burishole for treatment.

Both Pintu and Bhudeb are now in CID custody for helping Suchitra escape to neighbouring Jharkhand.

Intelligence Bureau inputs suggest that Maoist leader Manasha Ram Hembram alias Bikash might have played a key role in passing on the information to the security forces. Bikash, from Metela village in West Midnapore's Goaltore, was popularly known as 'Kalu' in the village because of his dark complexion.

An area commander, Bikash developed differences with Kishenji, Suchitra and other senior Maoist leaders after Asim Mondal alias Akash was made CPI (Maoist)' s state secretary and appointed as chief commandant of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) in West Bengal.

Akash was given the charge following the arrest of Sudip Chongdar. Chongdar, along with three other Maoists, was arrested by the Kolkata Police Special Task Force (STF) in the first week of December 2010.

Bikash was the second commandant-in-chief, after Kishenji, during the Lalgarh movement. He was considered as the most suitable contender for the post of secretary of the party's state unit after Kanchan's arrest, sources said. After the state assembly elections, Bikash distanced himself from guerrilla activities in the forested belt. Responding to CM Mamata Banerjee's offer, he reportedly evinced willingness to surrender to the government.

When asked whether any insider gave the tip off to the security forces, state inspector general Gangeswar Singh said: "I am not in a position to comment on this now."

But a top state counterinsurgency force official, who masterminded the operation that night, confirmed that the tip-off came from Maoist insiders, "but not from one particular source".

He said the intelligence framework was only a part of the whole mechanism. "There were other things too," he added.

Maoists target vehicles during bandh

The 48-hour bandh called by the Maoists to protest against Kishenji's killing was marred with incidents of violence as the Naxalites torched vehicles and blasted railway tracks in Jharkhand - between Dumri Bihar and Gomia situated in Bokaro district and Hehegara and Chipadohar stations situated in Latehar district.

They also torched three dumpers in Pakur district and one truck in the Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand. Security was tightened in all Maoist-hit districts while deployment of force was strengthened near jails, armouries and government buildings, a senior police official said.

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